Antony experienced an evening with two opposite sides on Wednesday. On the one hand, the joy of the victory he achieved with Betis Sevilla against Porto in the Champions League; on the other, the great disappointment when he learned that his house had been robbed by thieves. The footballer himself announced the event through a post on Instagram Story, where he showed details of what had happened and also expressed his feelings about the situation. “Today I come here to share a very sad and indignant situation. An evening that had everything to be great ended in anger and disappointment. My house has been robbed,” he wrote. The former Manchester United player did not hide his concern.
"It's hard to explain the feeling when you see your space invaded, when you know that what we have built with so much effort and dedication has been taken by someone who has no idea what battles we face to gain everything, even the smallest thing. What infuriates you most is not only the material loss, but the feeling of insecurity within the country where we should feel most protected, as well as the insecurity that my family experiences. But, in the face of all this, one thing becomes even clearer to me: there is no material good in the world that is more precious than the life and well-being of my family."
Betis won 3-2, but the sight he was faced with when he returned home took away all the joy of victory. It is still unknown how much the stolen items were worth, but Antony is trying to look ahead. “Everything we have lost can be won back. The work continues, the dreams remain and the desire to win is still intact,” he added. “What really matters is being able to look at my family and know that we are moving forward together, united and with the strength to overcome this difficult moment. The feeling of insecurity and anger remains, but so does the conviction that our greatest wealth has never been in the objects inside the house, but in the people who make it a family home.”
It is possible that, fortunately, no one was in the apartment at the time of the robbery. Perhaps for this reason, Antony manages to see the situation beyond the material loss: “Because, at the end of the day, my greatest achievement will always be my family.”
It was a very turbulent second day of the Champions League, as goalkeeper Gulacsi was also forced to miss the Villarreal-Napoli match after being robbed at gunpoint along with his family. It is a completely different event from Antony's, but one that leaves its mark on the lives of these footballers, who must face the risk of often becoming the target of such actions.
This is perhaps one of the most negative aspects of a footballer's life. The wealth, the great economic opportunities and the dizzying salaries are known to everyone, almost public. Very often, criminals take advantage of this to target footballers, without considering that behind them — often still very young — there may be families, wives and children who risk being permanently traumatized.
